Mowing device



J. F. ENGLER MOWING DEVICE 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 orig-m1 Filed Jung 15, 1959(/O/7/7 E .Eby/ef' INVENTOR.

BY f4/@f 4 Sheets-Shed. 2

Dec. 31, 1963" J. F. ENGLER MowING DEVICE original Filed June 1'5, 1959z/o/7/7 F. Enf/e9' IN V EN TOR.

BY a A TTOHA/E .V

J. F. ENGLER Dec.` 31, 1963 MOWING DEVICE 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Original'Filed June 15, 1959 29 c/o/fn E fny/ef' 2, INVENTolL BY ///fz A rrowgyJ. F. ENGLER Dec. 31, 1963 MOWING DEVICE 4 AShQebS-Sheet 4 OriginalFiled June 15, 1959 les fm. M #am p www w fm A f. o d L United StatesPatent O 3,115,738 MOWING DEVICE John F. Engler, Engler ManufacturingCorp., R0. Box 7 616, Houston, Tex. Continuation of application Ser. No.820,413, June 15, 1959. This application Mar. 28, 1961, Ser. No. 98,8933 Claims. (Cl. 56-6) This invention pertains to mowing apparatus, andparticularly to combination mowing apparatus of large capacity whereinthe width of swath for each pass is increased so that the costs ofmowing large areas are significantly decreased.

This application is a continuation of copending application Serial No.820,413, tiled June l5, D959, and now abandoned, which copendingapplication repeated a substantial portion of and added matter notdisclosed in an application copending therewith, Serial No. 6703508,filed July 8, 1957, now Patent No. 2,952,961.

It is a principal object of the invention to provide a mowing device orapparatus of large capacity.

Another object of the invention is to provide such apparatus havingmultiple overlappingly-disposed cutting means each contributing to thewidth of swath.

Another object of the invention is to provide mowing apparatus suitablefor use on unlevel terrain such as, for example, rice paddies and otherditched elds.

Another object of the invention is to provide mowing apparatus capableof cutting a wide swath which may be towed by la vehicle of relativelylow power.

An additional object of the invention is to provide such mowingapparatus which is not susceptible to stalling in heavy brush or bush,and which is relatively unaffected by 'impact or collision withimpediments such as trees, rocks, stones, and the like,

Still another object is to provide a segmented mowing apparat-us havingmeans for raising some of the segments out of mowing position.

Yet another object is to provide mowing apparatus having means formaintaining the cutting means at a desired height above Ithe ground onunlevel and uneven terrain.

Another object is to provide mowing apparatus capable of cuttingvegetation to a uniform height even when mowing across ditches and otherundulating terrain.

Another object is to provide segmented mowing apparatus having means forraising some of the segments to bypassobstructions.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from thefollowing description of a preferred embodiment thereof, reference beingmade to the accompanying drawings, of which:

FIGURE l is a side elevation of a preferred mowing device according tothe invention and of a towing vehicle therefor, the latter beingindicated by dashed lines;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged plan View of the mowing device shown in FIGUREl, the towing vehicle being omitted;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged vertical section taken at line 3 3 of 4FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged partial view, partly in vertical section,showing the wheel mountings of the device of FIGURES 1-3;

FIGURE 5 is a partial plan view of lthe front end of the preferreddevice;

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged front elevation of the device showing a sideportion thereof in moved position taken at 6 6 of FIGURE l; and,

FIGURES 7-10 are somewhat schematic front elevations of the deviceshowing how the device is used for cutting vegetation on terrain ofdiffering contour.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, and iirst to 3,115,738 PatentedDec. 31, 1963 ICC FIGURES l-6, a mowing apparatus 10 of the preferredform according to the invention is towed or drawn by a powered vehicle11 such as ia tractor or the like. The tongue or draw bar assembly ofthe mowing device is made up of two angularly disposed curved members12, 13 which are welded .together at their forward ends by means ofwelds 112 and to which a hitch means -15 is Welded at the apex by meansof welds 115. The members 12, 13 are each pivotally mounted at 16 forvertical pivoting with relation to lthe mowing apparatus 10. Poweredvehicle 11 has a rear hitch means 18 engageable with the hitch `15 bymeans of which the connection is made for ltowing or drawing the mower10 with the vehicle 11 in the conventional manner.

The body of the mowing apparatus 10 comprises a substantiallyhorizontal, planar body in three sections 20-22, lthe center section 20being substantially rectangular, and the side sections 21, 22 havingdiagonal forward sides 23, 24 respectively. Body sections 20-22 areupwardly flat, and are constructed of steel channel framing members 27and steel ooring plate members 28. Sections 20-22 .are hinge-connectedtogether side by side, the hinge 29 pivotally connecting sections 2.0,21 and the hinge 3@ pivotally connecting sections 20, 22 at oppositesides of section Ztl. The hinges extend along the full length of theconnected section sides, and permit relative movements between theconnected sections of up to about on upward movements and about 20 ondownward movements so that the mower body is enabled to flexiblytraverse over uneven terrain and still be closely spaced from allsurfaces of the terrain.

The body sections 20-22 are movably supported by four wheel assemblies32-35 each constituting wheel support means. Wheel assemblies 33, 34 aremounted near the rear ends of respective hinges 29, 30, and wheelassemblies 32, 35 are, respectively, at the outer sides of body sections21, 22 at channel brackets 36, 37 which extend out from the sides of thebody sections a short distance so that the wheels `are carried beyondthe outer sides of the body sections. 'Ihe placing of the outer wheelassemblies 32, 35 ahead of and out of line with wheel assemblies 33, 3'4increases the stability ofthe mower body so that the evenness of cut isimproved.

Each of the wheel assemblies S2-35 is height adjustable. Referringparticularly to FIGURE 4, each wheel assembly comprises an arm 49'pivotally mounted at a pin 41 supported stationarily by aperforate ange42 attached to an lI-beam bracket member 316- or 37 for wheel assemblies312, 35, or to a frame member 27 for wheel assemblies 33, 34. Each arm40 carries a lateral wheel shaft (see FIGURE l) fupon which a wheel 44is rotatively mounted, and a llange l45 above the arm and spaced fromits pivot end, A double bracket 46 is affixed above the plate 28 of bodysection 28 or above bracket 36 or 37 in line 'with each arm 4i? andabove the arm pivot. A rod 47 pivotally mounted at one end at flange 45by a pin 48 is threaded at its other end 49. Threaded rod end 49 isadjustably screwed into an internally threaded socket Btl of a boss `5l,which extends through a block 52 pinmounted at bracket 46 by means of apin 152 (FIGURE 2). Boss 51 has an enlarged iiange 53 at the oppositeside of block 52. The ycentral cylindrical shank portion of -boss 51 istubular to receive the end of rod 47 and is slidable through a holethrough block 52 and is surrounded by a helical compression spring 54which acts between block 52 and the end of socket 50` which is of largerdiameter than the shank portion of boss 51. Boss 51 has a hexagonal end55 which may be engaged with a wrench to screw socket 'Sil axially alongrod end 49 to adjust the distance between block 52 and pin `48, therebyraising or lowering arm 4l) and the wheel 44 carried thereby. Thisadjustment permits variation of the distance at which body sections20-22 are carried above the ground surface 60 so that the height of cutof the mower may be adjusted.

Each body section carries a swinging blade mowing assembly. Gear units`61-63 are mounted, respectively, at the centers of the upper surfacesof each of the body sections Ztl-22, the units being bolted to iloor 28and frame members 27 as shown. Gear unit `61 is driven through atelescoping drive shaft and universal joint assembly 65 which is alsoconnected to the rotative power take-o 66 of Vehicle 11, which isusually a small tractor. Gear unit 61 in turn drives gear units 62, 63to which it is drive-connected by telescoping drive shaft and universaljoint assemblies 67, 68, respectively.

Each [gear unit 61-63, unit 162 being shown in FIG- URE 3 and units 61,63 being identically arranged, includes a vertical shaft 70 extendingthrough a hole 17@ freely past and below the door element 28 of the bodysection. At the lower end of each shaft 70i there is connected acircular hub 71 outwardly from the lower surface of which extendrotatable cutting mems comprising two doubly-pivotal cutter or mowerblades 72. -Each blade 72 is pivotally mounted for horizontal movementboth at the hub 71, at bolts 7'3, and at the intermediate joint thereof,at bolts 74. The outer blade sections 75 of each blade 72 are sharpenedat each side at 172 for cutting of grass, roots, stems, and brush orother vegetable growths when the blades are swingingly rotated by axialrotation of hub 71.

At the rear of each body section Ztl, 21, and 22 of the mower, apivotable ilap 76 is attached by means of a hinge 'I7 extendinglaterally and horizontally across lthe back of each body section so thatthe tlap may pivot vertically. This flap functions both as a guard forpreventing contact with the blades and consequent accidental injury, andalso to retain mowed vegetable growth within the area of blade rotationuntil itis mulched or shredded. When the amount of mowed vegetable`growth builds up until a large quantity is held under the mower, thisbulk of material pushes -against the ilap to raise it, and the mowedmaterial is released.

Referring now particularly to FIGURES 2 and 6, two uid cylinders 78 arepivotally mounted on the upper surface of Hoor 28 of body section 20vadjacent hinges 29, 30, respectively, each mounting comprising a pin 79and clevis `80, whereby the uid cylinder may pivot laterally withrespect to the central body section. On the outer end of piston rod 81of each fluid cylinder 7S, a head member 82 is affixed. yEach headImember 82 is provided with pins 83, l84 for pivotal attachment of a bar85 and a ilexible connector comprising a chain 86, respectively. Eachbar 85 is pivotally attached to central body section 20 at 87, and eachchain 86 is attached to one of body sections 21, 22, outwardly of thepoint of attachment of the fluid cylinder. A brace member 88 providessupport for each fluid cylinder 78. Fluid cylinders 78 are single actingcylinders, pressure being applied, by means not shown, below the piston,i.e. at the end opposite the piston rod end. The application of rfluidpressure to the cylinder causes piston rod 81 to move upwardly, therebyexerting a force on bar 8S and chain 86, and causing one of bodysections 21, 22 to be pivoted upwardly about hinges 29 or 30. Thearrangement shown and described is particularly desirable and preferred,since a single-acting cylinder of extremely short stroke may be used toraise one of body sections 21 or 22 to its highest point. Fluid pressureto the cylinders 78 is controlled by valves (not shown) convenientlymounted on the powered vehicle 11. The operator may thus easily raiseone or both of sections 21 and 22 Ito clear obstructions, such asstumps, or to go through a gate without ever slowing or stopping thepowered vehicle, and without ever stopping the mowing by the cuttermeans lwhich are not raised.

According to this invention, Imeans are also provided for raising orlowering the front of the mower. This means comprises two iluidcylinders 89 pivotally mounted on posts 90. Each of posts 9% straddlesone of curved members 12, -13 which make up the tongue of the mower, andis mounted, as by welding, near the front of the mower, and forward ofthe point 16 at which members 12, 13 are pivotally attached to themower. A pivotable cap 91 comprises the top of each post, and serves asa mounting member for iiuid cylinder 89', which may be bolted on. `Cap91 has a central aperture (not shown) for passage of piston rod 92 ofthe uid cylinder. Each piston rod 92 is operatively connected to one ofcurved members 12, 13 which make up the tongue. Fluid lines 93, 94, 95supply Jduid to cylinders 89 through a suitable valve (not shown)conveniently mounted on powered vehicle 11 for remote operation by thedriver.

Fluid cylinders 89 provide means for raising or lowering the front ofthe mower in order to obtain a uniform cutting height when mowing acrossditches, ridges, dikes, or other undulating terrain. Thus when the rearwheels of the towing vehicle go into la ditch or other depression, thefront of the mower will ordinarily be pulled down so that the cuttingelements cut the vegetation adjacent the ditch very short, and sometimesthe cutting elements dig in and are damaged severely, especially inrocky soil. With the apparatus of this invention, however, pressure isapplied to Vthe fluid cylinder 89 so as to raise the front of the mowerwith respect to tongue members 12, 13, so that the cutting elements areraised to the desired cutting level. Then when the powered vehicle comesout of the ditch, it will lift the front of the mower so that thecutting elements ido not cut the vegetation short enough. Pressure isthen applied to the iluid cylinder in the opposite direction to lowerthe `front of the mower with respect to tongue members 12, 13, whereuponthe cutting elements are again lowered to the desired cutting level.

Although for the sake of simplicity only one set of uid lines forcylinders 89 is shown in the drawing, it will be appreciated that meansare providedyfor supplying fluid to both ends of the iluid cylinders, sothat force may be `applied for moving the piston rod, and thereby thefront of the mower, in either direction.

The preferred mowing device herein described is particularly suited foruse in mowing unlevel ground such as is found in rice fields and otherterrain interwoven by ditches and other surface irregularities. InFIGURE l0, the llexible action of the mower is` shown in traversing aditch 190, and in FIGURE 9 the side 191 of a hump or hill 192. The ditch190 in FIGURE 10 has steep sides 93, 94, at tangles shown at 45, butwhich may be even greater, with the horizontal bottom of the fditch asis shown by the positions of the mower sides in 'FIGURE 7. The poweredvehicle 11 (not shown in FIGURE 10) rides the ditch bottom. The centerpart 20 of the mowing device closely cuts vegetable growth at the bottomof the ditch, while the side parts 21, 22 closely mow the ditch sides93, 94. All of the vegetation at the sides and bottom of the ditch istrimmed closely, since the nonplane conguration taken by the mower bodysections 20-22 is closely adapted to the coniguration of the ditchopening.

In FIGURE 8, the mower -is shown with right-hand side section 22 andcenter section 20 mowing level terrain, and with the left-'hand section21 mowing a slope 20 downward from the ievel terrain, which is about themaximum downward movement permitted by the position :of shaft 67.

In FIGURE 9, it is seen that mower body section 22 has moved from itsplanar position of level ground mow- This versatility enables the mowerto be used in many locations not heretofore capable of being mowedexcept by more laborious means, as for example by several passes with anarrower mowing device cutting vegetation at a single plane. Furtherefficiency is realized because of the controlled overlapping of icut ofadjacent sections 2t), 21, 22. When Separate passes are made with asingle-cutter mower, the overlapp-ing is uncontrolled and invariablyexceeds the controlled overlapping so that some capacity of the mower iswasted at the sides of each pass.

While a mower capable of cutting a fifteen foot wide swatch might bethought unmanageable, such is not the case with the mower hereinpresented. Because of the simple direct means for supplying drivingpower to each set of blades of the mower, there is little friction `lossso that a greater fraction of the power of vehicle 11 is avtailable forperforming useful work. It is to be understood that the work load is acombination of the work done in rotating the cutters to cut theVegetation and the work done in pulling the mower which includes .thework of bending over the vegetation as the mower passes over it and alsothe work of lifting the mower over any hills or other obstacles,especially where the terrain is rough. It yhas been deemed impossible tooper-ate such .a mower with a tractor powered with less than Iabout 60horsepower, but according to the realization of this invention, a 30horsepower tractor is fully capable of eficient operation even underadverse conditions of heavy vegetation and rough terrain. Underfavorable conditions such as in a pasture even a 2O horsepower tractorcan be used.

The telescoping drive shafts 67, `68 each have a tubular portion 96(FIGURE l0) within which a portion 97 is slidingly disposed and keyed(keys not slhown) to prevent relative rotation between the portions 96,97 of each shaft. The length of the portion 97 which is within portion96 is variable, depending on the inclination of the side section 21 or22 relative to the center section 20. At times lit may be desirable touse a three-segment telescopic shaft to obtain a greater inclination ofthe side section. Plihe idrive between gear units `61 and gear units 62,63 is 'direct regardless of Whether the shafts are extended, as inFIGURE 8, or shortened, as in FIGURES 9-10. The absence oftlow-efliciency drive connections, such as belts or pulleys, between theadjacent mowing sections makes the power efficiency of the gang-mowervery high so that the low powered tractor units abovereferred to may beused with no deficiency of operating efficiency for the mower. It shouldbe further noted that the drive-efiioiency is the same whether the moweris operating on level or unlevel ground.

In addition the diagonal `disposition of the curved members i2, 13 andthe angular configuration of front sides 23, 24 of the side sections 21,22 lessens Ithe shock to the mower should a relatively immovable orheavy object such as la tree, post, log or stone be struck while themower is being towed. The described shapes of the front portions of themower permit -the vehicle 11 to drag the mower past such objects withoutback land forth maneuvering of the Vehicle and mower. The slanted frontsides of the mower, when striking an object, cause the mower to slidesideways around the object and continue without hesitation along theswath.

The controlled blade overlapping is best described by reference toFIGURE 2. The center blade, beneath section 20 and gear unit 61 isbetween and forward of the two sets of side blades beneath sections 21,22 and gear units 62, 63, respectively. This triangular arrangementpermits controlled overlapping from front to back of adjacent sets ofblades. This controlled overlapping exists at side-section angles up -toabout 45 (see FIGURES 8, 9, but when the side-section yangle is greaterthan about 45 (see FIGURE 7), there is `a narrow gap between adjacentblade tips.

Referring now again to FIGURE 2, with continuing `22 may be removed.

reference to the other drawings, the mower may also be adapted for usein mowing narrow swaths, and as an offset mower for mowing beneath thebranches of trees and other overhanging objects. For example, if the pinor rod of hinge 30 is withdrawn, side section It is also necessary touncouple shaft 68. The mower then becomes an offset mower with theoffset portion comprising section 21 of the mower. Similarly, left-handsection 22 may be used as an offset, section 21 being removed bywithdrawing the pin from hinge 29 and uncoupling shaft 167. Also, bothside sections may be removed to provide a narrow Ldrag-type mowercomprising only central section 20. The width of the swath cut may,therefore, be changed to the width of either one, two, or three sectionsIof the mower, and an offset mower of two section width comprising thecenter section and either of the side sections may be used as desired.When either or both of the side sections 21, 22 are removed, theresulting side openings are closed by simple rectangular plates (notshown) having a halfhinge connectible to the remaining half of hinge 29or 30.

The mower of this invention may `also be used for mow-ing on the edge ofground adjacent -a chasm having very steep banks, so that 'to cut up to.the edge of the chasm it is necessary for one of wheels 32, 35 to hangfree over the chasm. In such a situation, pressure is applied to one ofcylinders 78 to support the overhanging segment of the mower -at thedesired angle. Vegetation may thereby be cut all the way to the edge ofthe chasm.

While a preferred embodiment of the invention has been shown `anddescribed herein, many modifications thereof m-ay be made by a personskilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention,and it is intended to protect by Letters Patent all forms of theinvention falling within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A mowing machine comprising a substantially horizontal planar body,said planar body comprising -a central section and a side sectiondisposed laterally to one side of said central section, means pivotallyconnecting said side section to said central section along lalongitudinally extending pivot axis, wheel support means on said body,rotatable cutting means suspended beneath each section, means -on saidbody for driving said cutting means, and fiuid operated means mounted onsaid central section adjacent said pivot axis for pivotally raising saidside section, said fluid operated means comprising a substantiallyvertically disposed fluid cylinder having its lower end pivotallymounted on a fixed pivot extending parallel to said pivot axis, a pistonrod extending upwardly `from said uid cylinder, means pivotallyconnecting the piston rod to the side section at a point laterallyoutwardly from the pivot point of the fluid cylinder, `and meanspivotally connecting the piston rod to said central section at a pointlaterally inwardly from the pivot point of the uid cylinder, wherebyupon extension of said piston rod the side section is elevated and theuid cylinder is pivoted laterally inwardly.

2. A mowing machine comprising a substantially horizontal planar body,said planar body comprising a central section and a side sectiondispo-sed laterally to one side of said central section, means pivotallyconnecting said side section to said central section along -alongitudinally extending pivot `axis, wheel support means on said body,rotatable cutting means suspended beneath each section, means on saidbody for driving said cutting means, and fiuid operated means rnountedon said central section adjacent said pivot axis for pivotally raisingsaid side section, said fiuid operated means comprising a substantiallyvertically disposed uid cylinder having its lower end pivotally mountedon la fixed pivot extending parallel to said pivot axis, a piston rodextending upwardly from said uid cylinder, a flexible connectorconnecting the piston rod to the side section -at a point laterallyoutwardly from the pivot point of the Huid cylinder, and

Ine-ans pivotally connecting the piston rod to said central section atla point laterally inwardly from the pivot point of the uid cylinder,whereby upon extension of said piston rod the side section is elevated`and the Huid cylinder is pivoted laterally inwardly.

3. A mowing device comprising a substantially horizontal planar body,said planar body comprising a central section and two side sections, onedisposed laterally to each side of said central section, hinge means `oneach lateral side of said central section and 4attached to said sidesection whereby said side sections are pivotable vertically with respectto said central section, wheel support means on said body, rotatablecutting means suspended beneath each of said body sections and supportedthereby, means on said body for driving said cutting means, andindependent ud operated means mounted on each side of said cent1-a1section adjacent said hinge means for pivotally raising each of saidside sections independently to a substantially vertical positon, eachsaid lluid operated means comprising a substantially vertically disposedfluid cylinder having its lower end pivotally mounted on la xedReferences Cited in the le of this patent UNI-TED STATES PATENTS2,672,000 Speiser Mar. 16, 1954 2,682,740 Miller et a1 July 6, 19542,753,674 Cunningham et al. July l0, 1956 2,887,838 Gudmu-ndsen May 26,1959 2,956,386 Niemann Oct. 18, 1960 2,982,080 Martin M-ay 2, 1961

1. A MOWING MACHINE COMPRISING A SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL PLANAR BODY,SAID PLANAR BODY COMPRISING A CENTRAL SECTION AND A SIDE SECTIONDISPOSED LATERALLY TO ONE SIDE OF SAID CENTRAL SECTION, MEANS PIVOTALLYCONNECTING SAID SIDE SECTION TO SAID CENTRAL SECTION ALONG ALONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING PIVOT AXIS, WHEEL SUPPORT MEANS ON SAID BODY,ROTATABLE CUTTING MEANS SUSPENDED BENEATH EACH SECTION, MEANS ON SAIDBODY FOR DRIVING SAID CUTTING MEANS, AND FLUID OPERATED MEANS MOUNTED ONSAID CENTRAL SECTION ADJACENT SAID PIVOT AXIS FOR PIVOTALLY RAISING SAIDSIDE SECTION, SAID FLUID OPERATED MEANS COMPRISING A SUBSTANTIALLYVERTICALLY DISPOSED FLUID CYLINDER HAVING ITS LOWER END PIVOTALLYMOUNTED ON A FIXED PIVOT EXTENDING PARALLEL TO SAID PIVOT AXIS, A PISTONROD EXTENDING UPWARDLY FROM SAID FLUID CYLINDER, MEANS PIVOTALLYCONNECTING THE PISTON ROD TO THE SIDE SECTION AT A POINT LATERALLYOUTWARDLY FROM THE PIVOT POINT OF THE FLUID CYLINDER, AND MEANSPIVOTALLY CONNECTING THE PISTON ROD TO SAID CENTRAL SECTION AT A POINTLATERALLY INWARDLY FROM THE PIVOT POINT OF THE FLUID CYLINDER, WHEREBYUPON EXTENSION OF SAID PISTON ROD THE SIDE SECTION IS ELEVATED AND THEFLUID CYLINDER IS PIVOTED LATERALLY INWARDLY.